Okay, then: better luck next time.

[seanan_mcguire]

All right, folks: looks like we need to have a quick refresher on how giveaways work around here.

I try to be as generous as I can with giving out prizes, because who doesn’t love to win stuff?  At the same time, I need to make these giveaways a) as low-impact as possible, since I’m running them while also doing everything else that’s involved in making sure books get written and business gets done, b) fair, and c) geared mostly toward fans/readers.  When you say “enter here for free stuff” on the open internet, you get swarmed by give-away blogs and signal boosters who don’t care what you’re giving out, only that they don’t have to pay for it.

To combat the “we just want free things, we don’t care who you are or what they are” crowd, every giveaway I run will have clear, simple rules, like “indicate whether you’re in the US or not” and “include the word ‘banana’ in your comment.”  Comments that do not follow all rules will be disqualified, and cannot win even if selected by the random number generator (RNG).  If the RNG picks one of those, I draw again.  Always.

To keep things low-impact–and this has been the case for literally over a decade, beginning with giveaways of my first few CDs–when I draw winners for a giveaway, their names will be posted here, along with a deadline for claiming their prizes.  Once that deadline passes, I’m terribly sorry, but the prizes are no longer available to be claimed.  I do not send out a reminder email.  I do not contact the winners directly.  I draw the names and post them on the blog, where they can be clearly seen.

You may think this is unfair.  I don’t.  I am giving things away, including my time, and I am asking that, if you have entered a giveaway through this blog, you check back after the stated cut-off to see whether your name has been chosen by the RNG.  I do not re-draw names when prizes go unclaimed.  They just don’t get sent out, and I find other channels via which to distribute them.

Please, please, please remember to check back after a giveaway.

The prize you save could be your own.

Comments

[alexseanchai]

♥

[shanejayell]

All of which is common sense. Sorry that people are being annoying....

[vettecat]

Eminently reasonable. Sorry it needs to be explicitly stated.

[melchar]

This - so this!

Seanan - you are the heart and soul of awesome writerness. You write well and quickly. [Yes, I envy this.] And THEN you give of your time to charity causes, to attend conventions, signings, fun events. And THEN then you do giveaways, you blog in entertaining ways.

You GIVE AWAY written content [looking at YOU, Velveteen!] - and you do this without expecting praise. You do deserve the praise. I love you writing, your generosity and your energy.

Please, never change.